Endless Drama holds out Te Akau Shark in last year’s Foxbridge Plate at Te Rapa.
How the early feature calendar looks - Te Rapa to host first Group races of the new season
By Barry Lichter • 21 April 2020
The first Group races of the new season will be run at Te Rapa on September 5 in the proposed draft calendar for 2020-21.
With the Listed Winter Cup not being run at Riccarton in August, the first big day at Te Rapa will see the Group II Foxbridge Plate held plus the Group III Northern Breeders’ Stakes, a three-year-old race traditionally held at Ruakaka, which has been allocated no dates during the period.
The Hawkes Bay Group I Triple Crown remains unchanged with the Tarzino Trophy on September 19, the Windsor Park Plate on October 3 and Livamol Classic on October 17.
Gone from the calendar are Trentham’s traditional late October date, meaning no Thompson Handicap (Group III) but the Wellesley Stakes (Listed) is set to be moved to Levin Classic day in January.
Other casualties are the Arawa Stakes (Group III wfa) and Trudy Thompson Memorial (Listed).
The jumping season opens and closes at Wanganui, with the first day on July 10 and last, national jumps day, on November 1.
The Great Northern Hurdles and Steeples will be run at Ellerslie on October 17, the same day as the third leg of the Hawkes Bay Triple Crown.
Gone are the Grand National Hurdles and Steeples at Riccarton, with no South Island jumps racing programmed.
This draft programme will be confirmed by July after the decision of the RITA dates committee and an assessment by the NZTR Board of the COVID-19 restrictions in place at that time and likely to be in place for the 2020-21 racing year.
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Lisa’s comments
Saturday at Otaki
Race 3: Platinum Tyche
1:19pm
“I couldn’t be happier with her work and she has certainly improved from her first-up run when she did not have all favours. I don’t think it’s the strongest of fields and the forecast is looking good so I think she will get her chance to bounce back to winning form. Bruno Queiroz rides from gate four.”
Race 5: Platinum Attack
2:29pm
“He drew badly in 19 but they will start only 14 so he will come in to 13 or 14. The positive is there is good speed in the race with Shoes, Party Rocking and Idyllic who all go forward. I couldn’t be happier with him - his final work on Wednesday morning on the course proper was as strong as ever. He still has his summer coat and is looking fantastic. It’s a similar field to the one he beat last start at Trentham and Bruno Queiroz just needs to find some luck in the running.”